Quinnipiac will appreciate its accomplishments in time

Despite loss in national title game, team will eventually reflect on amazing accomplishments

Published 11:23 pm, Sunday, April 10, 2016

Photo: Chris O’Meara — The Associated Press

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Quinnipiac forward Tim Clifton (11) celebrates his goal against North Dakota with goalie Michael Garteig during the first period of the NCAA Frozen Four championship game Saturday.

Quinnipiac forward Tim Clifton (11) celebrates his goal against North Dakota with goalie Michael Garteig during the first period of the NCAA Frozen Four championship game Saturday.

Photo: Chris O’Meara — The Associated Press

Quinnipiac will appreciate its accomplishments in time

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TAMPA, Fla. >> Perhaps someday, the pain will subside and Quinnipiac can reflect justly on an otherwise remarkable season with pride.

But the sting of being so close to a national championship – the second time in four years for the senior class – and falling short of the ultimate objective is one that may linger somewhere inside these Bobcats forever.

For six full months Quinnipiac believed it was the nation’s best college hockey team. Those dreams evaporated in a 5-1 setback to North Dakota in the Frozen Four title game at Amalie Arena on Saturday night, three goals in the final period turning a one-goal contest into a rout.

“It’s probably one of the worst feelings I’ve had in my life,” junior forward Sam Anas said. “To come so close to everything we’ve worked for, for not just this season, but last season and every season before this. It’s a tough pill to swallow right now. In the end, we are going to use it to fuel the fire, but it’s pretty tough right now.”

As it watched North Dakota stream onto the ice to celebrate its eighth national championship, and first in 16 seasons, Quinnipiac was left to ponder what could have been. It’s only natural for a team that entered Saturday as the first team in 24 years to reach the national final with as few as three losses.

In time, they’ll come to realize their legacy.

The history books will show this Quinnipiac group was the first in school history to capture the Whitelaw Cup as ECAC Hockey tournament champions and appear in four successive NCAA tournaments.

The six-man senior class, led by captain Soren Jonzzon, goalie Michael Garteig and forward Travis St. Denis, is the first at Quinnipiac to win three Cleary Cups; the only one in the nation besides Boston College to play for two national titles in their career. Prior to their arrival in Hamden, Quinnipiac hadn’t qualified for the NCAA tournament in 11 years, back when it was Atlantic Hockey champs in 2002.

It began the season with a 17-game unbeaten streak, the best start to a new season in 20 years. The Bobcats went 9-0 against teams ranked in the national top 10 until its loss Saturday.

“The message (in the locker room) is how proud we are of one another and how close we’ve come as a team,” Jonzzon said. “I think it showed the way we played all year. Right now it feels sour, but when we look back, a team with four losses, it’s pretty amazing.”

While clear this may have been Quinnipiac’s best chance to win a championship, it certainly won’t be the last. Another Frozen Four run could be in the cards next April, when college hockey’s showcase event moves to Chicago.

The production of Garteig, who long ago cemented his status as perhaps the best goaltender in program history, and St. Denis, one of the country’s most unheralded forwards, will be missed. As will Jonzzon, the ultimate leader, and defenseman Alex Miner-Barron, a tireless worker and fierce competitor.

Two transfers — Kevin Duane, a forward from Boston University and Chris Truehl, a goalie from Air Force — become eligible after sitting out the season per NCAA rules.

The senior class has left Quinnipiac in position for continued success on the national level.

“The message coming from us is to keep the culture going,” Jonzzon said. “We’ve established an amazing culture in here of guys sacrificing for each other and just playing with pride. As long as we keep that going, the team should have a lot of success.”

The feeling of squandered opportunity after another national runner-up finish may last a lifetime. With luck, the sting of Saturday night will slowly subside and these Bobcats will full appreciate everything they’ve accomplished.